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Question to fanfiction writers

Discussion in 'Creative Zone' started by POKE, Feb 6, 2017.

  1. ChaoticLupa

    Shadow
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    I literally just started writing a fanfiction, its called Pokémon: The Girl Long Forgotten, but it was not my first Fanfiction, my first one is named The One Named Nightfire and its a Fairytail fanfic, but people stopped reviewing and it gets boring when I post a new chapter and do not get feedback. I had been daydreaming about the fanfictions I have been writing ever since I was little, and I finally had enough skill to type it, I am not perfect, but I feel as if I am pretty good considering the fact that I am sixteen. If anyone wants a review on their story that isn't getting any, I will read it and drop a review if you want!
     
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    HeroofFire101 likes this.
  2. Mandriel

    Mandriel Valor Knight

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    Red Orb ★★★★★Tapunium Z ★★★★★Love Ball ★★★★★GS Ball ★★★★★Galladite ★★★★
    I started writing fanfiction when i was about nine or ten, and my first fic was either Pokémon or NiGHTS. either way, it was terrible, had no plot and I soon lost motivation for it and eventually deleted it years later in embarrassment as my writing was getting better with my newer stories. My favourite thing about fanfiction was that there was already a universe and characters laid out for you, saving you the problem of having to go into too much worldbuilding.

    One of my biggest pet peeves is when a reader favourites/follows a story, but doesn't review. I don't care how many people are reading it, I want feedback or at least a 'Great story, I like X. Good luck with future chapters!' as it tells me that people are actually enjoying it and want me to continue as they're taking the time to leave a review. I think this is one of the reasons that I try and review all the stories that I read, because it really sucks to have 20 chapters and 3 reviews, it really kills any motivation to write if you feel as if your readers don't care.
     
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  3. Writer4fun

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    I think people don't review as much because they're on mobile more. 5 or 10 years ago, you'd be more likely to get a review anywhere. I assume people review if your story or a particular moment is on one extreme end of the spectrum for better or worse, if the fic is on the poorer side overall, or if it breaks a rule on the host site. Your story category and rating has a huge factor as well. Romance (fluffy shipping to hardcore M rated) is more likely to get reviews over something like a typical adventure fic. Take it from me, who has a 64 chapter fic and only 66 reviews with a decent following on Fanfiction.net. I figured I'd have a lot by chapter 30, but came to the conclusion that not a lot of people in the follow group will review.

    That shouldn't stop you from writing though. People will eventually find your stuff long after it's completed so it becomes a battle of will. I told myself that I'd finish it regardless of the numbers surrounding it because I'm having a fun time writing it and others will find it in the future. Don't let the WIP effect get you down because maybe a few more will pop up when it's done and you'll get this massive review. Only time will tell.
     
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  4. Mandriel

    Mandriel Valor Knight

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    I agree with you, there are lots of factors into why a lot of people tend to not review. I try not to let that get me down, though. All the same, I'd take a review for a follow any day.
     
  5. MetaKnightmareUltra

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    i wanted to start when i read many fanfics on the site before, but i actually liked it. after doing a Sailor Moon fanfic that was my first one, i did my sun and moon fanfic, knowing much more about writing.
     
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  6. GiratinaMissingNo

    GiratinaMissingNo ~Renegade Glitch~

    Percy
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    It started in middle school. I was searching up 'Pokémon fan art' and one of the google suggestions was 'fanfiction'. I was intrigued. So, I stumbled on FF.net completely by accident.
    Best.
    Accident.
    Ever.

    I just keep writing, uncaring if people don't notice.
    Edit: Of COURSE I want people to review/notice, but I don't let disintrest dissuade me.
    #MissingNo
     
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  7. HeroofFire101

    HeroofFire101 Stirlingite

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    I got started writing fan fictions with a Doctor Who fanfiction, but they never got off the ground. Then reading Legend of Zelda, Spectrobes, Pokémon, Assassin's Creed fanfiction sucked my interest. That was on Fanfiction.net. Then I found Lindsey Stirling fanfiction and found a good community on Wattpad for it. There I have my still uncompleted story ​The Master of Tides​ completely inspired by my alumi high school's marching band show in the 2014 season which I was a part of called ​Moby Dick​ and the then-newly released Lindsey Stirling Music Video for her song Master of Tides​. (It was first posted on Fanfiction.net and then I moved it to Wattpad. If you want to read it, then go to my Wattpad page.) And then I had the brilliant idea of writing a Lindsey Stirling Pokémon Story, and finally, I completed a fan fiction. Then I wrote a sequel, and completed it. And now I'm stuck on the third. I have so many ideas for it, but I can't figure out how to write it. (Suggestions are welcome for both ​The Master of Tides, Creation's Kingdom, and ​Austistic Truth.)
     
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  8. HeroofFire101

    HeroofFire101 Stirlingite

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    I will LOVE to have a review on my story Autistic Truth​! I do suggest reading it on Fanfiction.net because that's where I uploaded more chapters currently, but you can read what I have so far on here. I try and space out my uploading so I have people reading them so I can work on them. I know that my grammar is not so good, and I will warn you, ​Autistic Truth ​has no beta reader. Expect spelling and grammar mistakes.
     
  9. Nova Ozuka

    Nova Ozuka Hex Maniac

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    I first started writing in the third or fourth grade, but naturally, it wasn't anything particularly good. I didn't really write again until I was a Senior in high school, which was when I first discovered deviantART. I didn't really attempt anything novel-like until I found Fanfiction.net and started writing a Super Smash Bros fic, which I probably won't finish. I kinda went inactive when an online friend passed away. These days? I have to look far and wide for even the smallest sources of inspiration.

    But in all my time of writing, I have always had a lack of comments on dA and reviews on FF. I mean seriously, it's like if you don't like what or how I write something, at least say so, and if I'm doing something right, tell me. That way I can improve if nothing else, and I don't have to go into the story properties on FF to know that someone might just be reading it. How much attention does one need just to get the readers to post their thoughts? The only things you can do to get the reader's thoughts are this: look for Betas, advertise, and practice writing.

    It wasn't until late last year that someone followed one of my fics for the first time, and that same story got two reviews ever. I got one suggesting that one of the characters be afraid of something. The fact that it was a suggestion was good, but the full suggestion was not something that made sense given the character's background. I'll say this now, not a lot of Ghost-types around Viridian. I did however decide to make him afraid of a couple other things, which should make using HMs a little more fun.

    The other one was more of statement saying that the reader hadn't seen a fanfic about a fusion of two Pokémon before. Okay, so that one didn't seem particularly helpful.

    ...But it still gave me some ideas.

    End point: It's good to read a story, but it's better to point out something that liked or dislike in it, or even something that interests you. If it's good or bad, you can mention something and potentially make it better, so why not do so especially if you liked the story?
     
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  10. GiratinaMissingNo

    GiratinaMissingNo ~Renegade Glitch~

    Percy
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    Yes, please! I'm on FF under the same name and I've got the same story here. Thank you, you are a lifesaver (because it does get boring when people don't review)!
    #MissingNo
     
  11. Weedle Enthusiast

    Weedle Enthusiast Resident Weedle Enthusiast

    Best Boi
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    I started at the end of my freshman year, June of 2014 iirc. When I first discovered fanfiction, I was lucky enough to find some pretty decent writers. I eventually got inspired by them to write my own, which I enjoyed immensely. I didn't have that issue with viewers when I started out posting it though. One of my stories accepted OC's, and so that grabbed me a few loyal viewers (at the time at least), and when I became friends with those, we had a shared viewer base of at least like 5-7 people that actually left some reviews. Now that I am writing and posting it again though, I know that pain. Reviews are very slow to come in, and views aren't that fast either. But what I've noticed, even getting a single review IMMENSELY boosts viewership. I got one review on my one story (it was basically saying, "Hey, your idea is great. But this story kinda sucks. But here is everything that yo can fix, that would make it an okay story. And with enough practice, you could be a great writer." So that was an amazing review that made my week). Within the next 24 hours, it quadrupled in views. How do I deal with it? Two ways:
    1. I am writing for my own enjoyment. Being able to share my happiness with others when they enjoy my work, that is just a wonderful bonus.
    2. I get reviews from my dad, and from people on here (like DrGetus who has been a real life-saver with his help in fixing up my other works besides that one chapter that got a review).

    I'd love to have a bigger audience, but I honestly don't need it. Have I ever felt like the readers didn't enjoy what I wrote? Only when I see a bunch of views to the first chapter, and much less to the later chapters. But honestly, that is just statistics. It doesn't discourage me, it just inspires me to write better.
     
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  12. Kiyase

    Kiyase Sailor

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    I started writing a few years ago when I was 14 with a yugioh 5ds story called The Solar and Lunar Signers. So far that's my best one, and I know a lot of people actually enjoyed it. I then felt like that account was getting too crowded with messages and other stories, so I started a new one and a Pokémon fic called Inseparable. Sometimes I feel like not too many people are interested in it, but I still keep writing because I feel that if I keep doing that, more people might get interested in it. And, I don't want to just give up on it because I know that there are some people interested in that story. I still love writing and I plan to finish those two stories before moving on to something else like I did on my old account.
     
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  13. Kiyase

    Kiyase Sailor

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    Ahhh yes please! I haven't had any reviews on my story yet and I would like to know what someone thinks of it! The link to my account is in my sig :)
     
  14. Syaoron the Fox

    Skittles
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    I started my fanfiction career when I was in 8th grade. So... 6 years ago, I guess. Wow. I started in Sonic, because I loved Tails as a character. However, I've drifted away from that and more into Pokémon. At first, I was trash. My trash fiction is still up on my FFN account actually (shhhhhhhh). But with the help of other writers, I was able to develop my writing talents. I'm grateful to everyone who took the time to read my work and help me.

    As such, ANYONE who needs their story read, PLEASE ask me. I am willing to help.
     
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  15. Wolf Expert

    Wolf Expert Canine Scholar

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    I started writing in general probably when I was around 10 or 11 and started my first fanfic probably around the 7th or 8th grade. For me, it was more about the writing process than the views or reviews my writing got. I just like making stories. I especially love stories that capture some sense of adventure and wonder; that sort of feeling that you get when you go somewhere new and look out from a mountaintop onto the world stretched out all around you. I certainly try to incorporate that in my own writing. And then there are the characters. To me, each character is a person with their own lives, personalities and wishes for the future that determine everything they do. They're what make the stories really come to life. Coming up with new stories is just so much fun for me. Does that sound cliche? I feel like I'm rambling now.

    It was a nice surprise when so many people responded when I first started uploading on Fanfiction (and kind of weird when I realized there were some people naming their Pokémon after the named characters in my story). I have definitely noticed that over the past few years, fewer people have been leaving reviews and it can be discouraging at times. I thought at first it was just because I became less active, but even then my stories were still getting a decent amount of views and on a weekly basis I was still getting new followers. It would be nice to get some reviews just to have some suggestions on how to improve or to get more ideas for writing in the future, but being able to see those statistics is enough to prove that people are still reading. They wouldn't still be reading if they weren't interested, so that's enough for me.
     
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  16. BraviaryScout

    BraviaryScout Way of the Wind

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    I started writing fanfiction in my freshman year of high school. Happened to completely stumble on fanfiction.net by accident.

    Agree with you one hundred percent. I've definitely noticed a decline recently in reviews on my own stories, especially the ones on fanfiction.net. You're right. Sometimes it can really kill the mood and be discouraging. Stats say one thing, but at least to me; the feedback and comments mean a lot more as it tells me what people like about the story.

    I've known some really talented authors who make fantastic stories only to give up because they don't get reviews. Having no feedback basically tells them that it's merely not good enough to warrant a response from a reader. While I disagree with that kind of philosophy of updating and holding stories hostage, it can be hard to keep on going, especially if you know that nobody is going to bother saying anything, despite all the views and subscribers. It's almost like you're writing to yourself.

    I guess the same thing can be said for Youtube videos though. I'm fairly certain just about everyone on here has watched at least one video there without leaving a comment or like. Go ahead, point the finger at me too. I'm guilty of that.

    It really does brighten my day when someone takes even just a few minutes to say a thing or two on what they enjoyed about your writing. Reviews like "good chapter" really tell you that they like it, but there's no indication of WHAT they liked. That's why when I read fanfiction on either here or elsewhere, I try to leave a long enough meaningful review to tell them all the things I liked/didn't like or ideas on how to further improve their writing skills.
    Kind of like what @Achromatic said in the feedback thread; be willing to give reviews and comments to other people's works if you want some in return. Most other authors I've done this with are both extremely grateful and end up being friends of mine. We often talk about each others' fanfics which can be a lot of fun. @Wings is a really good recent example of this and she's been awesome at listening to me ramble about my own work while doing the same thing herself. We've even shared ideas or small details in our fics that will be implemented further down in future chapters to continue improving.

    I'll step off my soapbox now. So yeah, reviews and feedback are always nice and appreciated, but I've learned since that it is not to be expected.
     
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  17. Wolf Expert

    Wolf Expert Canine Scholar

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    I agree completely. I'm not sure why but I'm just not personally interested in reading other people's writing. Maybe I've just read too many really bad ones that ruined it for me, or maybe I'm just more of a writer than a reader, I'm not sure. I think I'll start making more of an effort to read some other people's fanfics though (and leave some reviews!)
     
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  18. BraviaryScout

    BraviaryScout Way of the Wind

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    Awesome! And I will make sure to give a review when you do decide to put your own story here in the Lit library! :)
     
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